Last Night: Jessica Dobson @ Hibbleton Gallery

Since the Weekly’s profile feature “True Story” on melancholy pop songstress Jessica Dobson, she has added another shining star to her galaxy as she prepares to go on tour with Beck—one of music’s most revered sonic astronauts.

On the night before she departed for a European tour, Dobson savored a few more comfortable moments surrounded by family, friends (and a room full of sexy thick bearded men, Japanese cartoons and superheroes) in the heart of downtown Fullerton. Dobson paid a visit to the newly opened Hibbleton Gallery on Wilshire St.

It was more or less a hometown show for Dobson who is known by most of her fans under the moniker Deep Sea Diver. This La Habra-grown talent became a solid fixture in the local Fullerton scene before being snapped up by Atlantic Records (a label she has parted ways with recently) for a chance at some major exposure.

Once again at the helm of her musical destiny, her confidence and talent seemed to seep through every song played during her brief half-hour set last night. The whole place went silent as Dobson’s acoustic strumming bounced off the white walls and her soothing voice washed over the crowd. One of the best things about art gallery acoustic shows is that it forces out most of the background noise pollution so even the slightest nuances in the music can make an impact on the audience. Even for a show of this type, Dobson’s emotion during songs like “Wearing Thin” and “We’re All Chalked Up and Spitting Dust” commanded silence that was only interrupted by the slow creak of the front door as some late comers shuffled in to catch the rest of the set.

In the quiet atmosphere it almost felt like we were in Dobson’s bedroom watching her practice. She capped off her set by giving us a taste of some musical roots that most fans of her music would have already guessed. Her cover of The Smith’s “Ask” was definitely one of the highlights, followed by the upbeat pop of “New Caves."

Critic’s Notebook

Personal bias: This was the best art gallery show I’ve been to since Matt Embree played Koos in Long Beach last spring.

Random Detail: The weather outside was so humid and hot that my friends and I had a wet T-shirt contest right after the show . . . I won.

By the Way: Deep Sea Diver revealed that Dobson will be releasing an album when she gets back from tour so keep stalking her MySpace for more details.

Nate Jackson is the gatekeeper to your dreams of local dive bar stardom. If he writes about you, expect your band to be offered at least one more drink ticket than the rest of the bands on the bill. Get his attention with some groovy tunes and he might just do it. Then, boy will you feel special.